chez nous - montreal children's hospital...help sick children, it didn’t take louise long to...

Chez nousMC H E M P L O Y E E N E W S L E T T E R SPRING 2016

Published by Public Relations and Communicationwww.thechildren.com

Photos: Jennifer Pontarelli

Special edition:Awards of Excellence2016 Winners

Special edition:Awards of Excellence2016 Winners

3AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE 2016

S P E C I A L E D I T I O N

T he Montreal Children’s Hospital

Foundation is proud to present

to you the 2016 recipients of

the Awards of Excellence.

In this special edition of Chez nous, we

feature the outstanding individuals selected

by their peers or the Foundation for their

dedication and their relentless efforts to

help sick children. We are truly blessed that

we can count on them.

The five talented employees honoured this

year are exceptional ambassadors for the Children’s. They also reflect what the Children’s reputation is built on. We

often hear from parents who are grateful for the services their children receive, in all departments and from employees

in all positions, from administrative to medical. We’d like to thank the entire staff of the Children’s for their dedication

to their work.

To our cherished volunteers working for the cause, words can’t express the gratitude we feel for your selfless actions.

Finally, to our sponsors who continue to support us: the Gustav Levinschi Foundation, the National Bank, Provigo,

Shire, Sub-Zero and Wolf, TD and TransForce, thank you for being faithful partners to the Children’s and helping our

hospital maintain its status as a leading institution.

Congratulations to all, and happy reading!

Marie-Josée Gariépy Jonathan Amiel

Marie-Josée GariépyPresident of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation

Jonathan AmielChairman of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board of Directors

4 CHEZ NOUS, SPECIAL EDITION

L inda Masse has a mission. Nothing very complicated, or so itmight seem: “It’s my mission in life to help people. I’m quite

committed. This is what I do.” Being singled out for an award ofexcellence, therefore, was a shock. “I was stunned and very emo-tional. I never expected it!”

Linda began nursing 31 years ago and has spent 28 of those yearsat the Pediatric ICU of the Montreal Children’s Hospital, workingfirst as a bedside nurse and, later, as an advanced practice nursewho follows a group of patients, working closely with their medicalteams. Linda also works with patients’ families, explaining the crit-ical care their child needs to survive and flourish, helping reassurea mother and father whose baby may suddenly be engaged in astruggle for health or for life itself. “It’s shattering for a parent.”

Beyond reassurance, parents may also need to learn new things.Linda helps teach families techniques they may need to ensure thebest care possible for their child once they “graduate” from thePICU. “The greatest gift we can receive is to see our patients leavethe hospital, to see a parent take his child in his arms and go home.That’s what touches us. That’s why we do this.”

As an advanced practice nurse, Linda must also support new nursesjoining the profession, sharing her valuable store of knowledge andexperience through workshops and through one-on-one contact.

Linda can find her work difficult at times: though most of thechildren coming through the PICU will survive and thrive, some maynot. But knowing that there is much more joy than sorrow in lifehelps make it possible for Linda to accomplish her mission: “I’mthere in a very particular moment in a family’s life, and it’s veryintense. There can be no half-measures.”

For her exemplary care of the children and families in the PICU,for her leadership and mentorship and in recognition of her dedi-cation to the pediatric mission, Linda Masse is awarded the GustavLevinschi Foundation Nursing Award of Excellence.

At the Gustav Levinschi Foundation, we believe that nurses providethe cornerstone of care for sick children and their families. That iswhy we are very proud to celebrate the outstanding work of LindaMasse by presenting her with the Gustav Levinschi Nursing Awardof Excellence.

Linda has spent 28 years of her 31-year career in the pediatricintensive care unit of the Montreal Children’s Hospital. She hascared for thousands of children and their families, often during a verycritical and traumatic period in their lives. Linda is an outstandingnurse and teacher. Before they leave the PICU, she will teach parentsthe skills they require to care for a critically ill child at home, andshe serves as a guide and a mentor for new nurses. Linda is alwaysthere for her patients and their families, and encourages them to callher whenever they need her, day or night.

The Gustav Levinschi Foundation shares Linda’s deeply-heldcommitment to giving back to the community and we are proud tosupport the important work of such a remarkable and respectedhealth professional.

Linda Masse is the recipient of the Gustav Levinschi Nursing Award of Excellence.

Linda Masse

W hen Gail Auerbach enters a room, the energy level goes upexponentially. The mother of six and grandmother of nine is a

dynamo. So when she first approached her friend, and formerFoundation president, Louise Dery-Goldberg to see how she couldhelp sick children, it didn’t take Louise long to suggest she work onthe Foundation’s annual fundraising ball.

“I told Louise that I didn’t want to work directly with children be-cause I’m really too sensitive. I’d be crying all the time,” says Gail,explaining why the ball was a good fit. “I really am passionate aboutchildren and I wanted to give back.”

Now in her seventh year as a volunteer, Gail works hard to securesponsorships, sell tables and has served on all the event’s subcom-mittees, including the silent auction committee. She estimates shehas helped raise half a million dollars so far. “Every year when I’mdone with my solicitations and my silent auction items, I add up

what I brought in to try to beat the amount I did in the past year.And the next year, I want to do even better.”

One of the achievements of which Gail is particularly proud isintroducing P.K. Subban to the Foundation. Last year, when shecalled P.K.’s manager to ask for a signed jersey for the silent auction,he informed her that he no longer handled these kinds of requestsand directed her to P.K.’s sister Natasha. “I sent her a letter and sheresponded very quickly, offering the jersey and asking what elsethey could do.” The “what else” turned out to be an offer fromP.K. and his former minor hockey coach Martin Ross to hold a liveauction, with a surprise appearance by the star defenseman “WhenP.K. walked in, the room went wild. It was exciting and everyonewas so surprised. I think the evening just blew him away becausehe later became so attached to the Children’s.”

Gail says receiving an Award of Excellence was unexpected butreally special. “I am truly blessed to have six healthy children andnine healthy grandchildren. I really do this for all the families andthe children who face unimaginably difficult challenges each day.It feels good to do whatever I can to help.”

The National Bank has been a socioeconomic ally of the Montrealcommunity for almost 145 years. Thanks to our One for Youthprogram and our volunteer program, we place young people at theheart of our involvement with the communities we serve. The Bankand its employees are proud of our association with the MontrealChildren’s Hospital and are honoured to be able to recognize anoutstanding individual whose volunteer work has helped to changethe lives of the Children’s young patients.

Gail Auerbach is one of those individuals. For seven years, she hasvolunteered countless hours to support the Ball for the Children’s,including serving on its silent auction committee. Each and everyyear, she strives to surpass her fundraising goals from the previousyear and so far, has raised half a million dollars for the Hospital. Gailinitiated the first contact between P.K. Subban and the MontrealChildren’s Hospital Foundation, which helped lead to the starMontreal Canadiens defenseman’s $10 million, seven-year commit-ment to the Hospital.

Gail Auerbach is an exceptional volunteer who constantly seeks tooutdo herself, and her passion for the cause of sick children is secondto none. We are very proud to award this amazing woman, andmother of six children, the National Bank Community and VolunteerAward of Excellence.



Gail Auerbach is the recipient of the National Bank Community and Volunteer Award of Excellence.

Gail Auerbach


A hospital is all about people: those who go there to get betterand those whose mission it is to make that happen. Among

those in that second group who make the Montreal Children’sHospital what it is are the many caring people who make up oursmall army of volunteers — as many as 500 throughout the hospital.Each one of those volunteers gets to meet our Provigo ProfessionalStaff Award of Excellence winner, Ann Hébert.

Ann, formerly with Child Life Services at the Children’s, took on theresponsibilities of Volunteer Services Coordinator in 2004, whereshe works with administrative technician Rose Giunti — “my rightarm and left arm”, says Ann — to deploy the Children’s formidablevolunteer corps. She manages all aspects of the service: volunteerinterviews, selection and training, identifying patient and familyneeds and new areas of volunteer involvement and, finally, matchingeach volunteer with a particular need. The wide range of needs Annregularly attends to includes meeting and greeting new patients

and their families, playing with or reading to patients and theirsiblings and assisting with clerical duties in clinical and adminis-trative departments. In each case, Ann must make sure that eachchild, family and staff member gets “the perfect volunteer”.

Ann also involves herself in other aspects of hospital life, servingon different committees, including the Quality of life at Workcommittee of the Children’s, which she chairs.

An outgoing, energetic and friendly person who loves to chat,Ann says she’s rarely at a loss for words, though she admits she wasleft speechless when the learned she would receive this year’sProfessional Staff Award of Excellence. “When volunteers thank mefor the work that I do, I tell them that I’m not the one doing thegreat work. They are!” One of her greatest rewards, she says, ishearing from a volunteer who feels they made a difference for achild. “That’s what it’s all about. That’s what keeps me going.”

Watch our volunteer services website for out next recruitmentdates! (www.thechildren.com/volunteering-montreal-childrens-hospital)

Provigo, a member of the Loblaw Group, firmly believes in helpingthe communities it serves, most notably through the President’sChoice Children’s Charity. These are the values that have brought usto sponsor the Provigo Professional Staff Award of Excellence.

As Volunteer Services Coordinator, Ann is responsible for recruitingand coordinating an army of volunteers, who give up their free timeto read a story, play a game or just lend a compassionate ear to theHospital’s patients and families at what is often one of the worsttimes of their lives. Open to trying new approaches, Ann carries outthis huge undertaking always with the patients and families in mind.Ann also works hard to ensure that her colleagues have a pleasantwork environment. As chair of the Hospital`s Quality of Life atWork committee, Ann can be counted on to go above and beyond,sacrificing her lunch hours to put up decorations or to set up staffparty events.

Without Ann, the hospital would be a very different place. We saluteher outstanding work and congratulate her on receiving theProvigo Professional Staff Award of Excellence.

Ann Hebert is the recipient of the Provigo Professional StaffAward of Excellence.

Ann Hebert



D r. Robert Platt loves numbers. They talk to him, and he under-stands them. But how do you put numbers to work for a better,

healthier world? The answer came to him as he was wrapping uphis undergraduate degree in mathematics: he hit upon the realiza-tion that “there are ways to use math and logic and numbers toactually benefit public health.” Mathematical models could beused to improve the design and statistical analysis of all manner ofepidemiological research. It all added up to a career in biostatisticsthat twenty years ago brought Dr. Platt to McGill and its pediatricteaching hospital, the Children’s. He has been looking ever sincefor ways to give numbers a real health impact — with much success.

Dr. Platt recently helped develop a model for determiningoptimal size and weight of babies at birth. It pointed the way toward

a postnatal growth chart that is now widely used across Canada.It’s just one way in which numbers can be crunched into researchsuccess. There are potentially many others: as a biostatistician,Dr. Platt gets to work with other scientists on a range of researchprojects involving the effects of breastfeeding, fetal and postnatalgrowth curves, kidney transplant outcomes and more. “What I likemost about my job and doing biostatistics is that you get to learn alot about everybody else’s work.” Such collaboration is essential togood science and good medicine.

Another essential ingredient of medical research is, as always, areliable source of funding. “There’s a lot of important research thatgœs on at the Children’s,” says Dr. Platt. Unfortunately, though,“it sometimes dœsn’t get as much attention from the funding agen-cies as we would like. Here’s where donors and philanthropists canhave a big impact, both on clinical care directly and on research.”

For Dr. Platt, there can be no doubt that medical research and thefunding that helps drive it are paramount to our collective well-being. “It’s an investment in the future of society, because kids arethe future.”

At Shire, our purpose is to enable people with life-altering conditionsto lead better lives. As a firsthand witness to the vital role researchersplay in our lives, and as a loyal partner of the Montreal Children’sHospital Foundation, we are proud to grant this award to a researcherwhose work has been highly influential in Canada, Dr. Robert Platt.

For over 20 years, the Children’s biostatistician has used numbersfor the benefit of public health. He developed a calculation methodthat is now widely used throughout the country: the postnatal growthchart. Over the course of his career, he has published 245 articles,mostly in prestigious scientific journals; 20 of his papers have beencited over 100 times each, attesting to the high regard the scientificcommunity has for his work.

Our team is proud to pay tribute to the remarkable work ofDr. Robert Platt, winner of the Shire Research Award of Excellence.Congratulations!

Dr. Robert Platt is the recipient of the Shire Research Award of Excellence.

Dr. Robert Platt


W e all start laying the foundation for later life when we are stillquite young — small children or adolescents — and are struck

by the seemingly innocuous: perhaps an after-school job, or at.v. show.

For Doctor Chantal Poulin, growing up in a small village in theGaspé, it was babysitting. And Quincy M.E., the episodic televisiondrama about a crime-fighting pathologist.

She loved the frequent contact with children when, as a teenager,she sat with children in her neighborhood and her family. Later,when she started studying medicine, she thought she mightbecome a pathologist. Then, while still a medical student, DoctorPoulin became acquainted with child neurology, “and really likedit”. The foundation was set: she would do a residency in general

pediatrics in Quebec City. From there, it was on to Montreal and theChildren’s, where Doctor Poulin started work in 1998 and whereshe has been since.

Doctor Poulin now serves as interim director of the Division ofPediatric Neurology at the Children’s and is Residency ProgramDirector, which puts her in regular close contact with medicalstudents and residents. She thrives on the mix of clinical work andteaching — about a fifty/fifty split. “I like the university settingwith the Children’s and the MUHC because of the opportunityto work with residents.” But, most of all, the former babysitterloves being around kids. “I like caring for them. And children teachme a lot of things: they’re very generous, they’re genuine, they’respontaneous.”

Doctor Poulin has an impact as a medical physician, certainly,but also as an engaged member of society. She, like others of hercolleagues and a great many caring individuals from all walks oflife, participates regularly in the annual Pedal for Kids event ofthe Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation. “One year, we toldthe Foundation ‘help us and we will pedal for you’. They fundedour department for new equipment for the electrophysiology lab.”Doctor Poulin hopes to pedal again this year.

Sub-Zero and Wolf firmly believe in the importance of bringingpeople together, both in the kitchen and in the community. Over theyears, Sub-Zero and Wolf have proven to be active supporters ofthe Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation and are proud tosponsor the Sub-Zero and Wolf Medical Award of Excellence.

This year ’s recipient, Dr. Chantal Poulin, is an outstanding doctorwho truly loves children. She currently holds two director positions.During her ten years as director of pediatric neurology, Dr. Poulin’sleadership has brought the division to be regarded as among the mostreputable in the country. Her colleagues will tell you she takes oncolossal responsibilities by treating a large number of patients withcomplex neurological issues, all while displaying an incredible senseof empathy. She also distinguishes herself through her teachingskills, for which she has received numerous awards.

It is a real honour for us to highlight Dr. Chantal Poulin’s remarkablecareer by awarding her the Sub-Zero and Wolf Medical Award ofExcellence.

Dr. Chantal Poulin is the recipient of the Sub-Zero and Wolf Medical Award of Excellence.

Dr. Chantal Poulin



S o, I’m going to wear a suit!” The prospect of getting dressed upfor a special event where, he had just learned, he was going to

receive a very special award, was a big moment for six-year oldStefano Ruvo. Stefano’s parents, Vito and Rosa, lived perhaps aneven bigger moment one morning last September, when theywatched their little boy and his two older sisters all take their firstschool bus ride together for the first day of school. It’s a long, longroad to kindergarten when you start out in the Neonatal ICU, whereevery day brings a new fight for life.

Stefano was just a few days old when he was diagnosed with a rarecondition of the central nervous system that prevented his brainfrom telling him to breathe. But two operations brought him out ofimmediate danger and set him on the path to a life full of wonderand joy.

His dad, Vito, says Stefano, “a joyful, playful, very sociable little boy,”is a fighter. He had to be. Stefano underwent months of therapyto learn to sit, walk and climb, while his parents learned how tooperate the equipment and the other skills they would need if theywere ever going to bring their son home from the hospital.

Stefano still is seen regularly in Complex Care at the Children’s and,sometimes, the road is hard. But he and his family are determinedto keep moving forward and, in a very tangible way, are bringing therest of us along: in 2012, Stefano’s cousin, Jennifer Ruvo, launcheda fund-raising initiative for the Complex Care service at theChildren’s — the Stefano Vito Ruvo Foundation, which has alreadyraised more than $65,000. Jennifer says her mission “is to helpchildren with complex medical needs, like Stefano, and their fami-lies benefit from equipment, treatments and services that areotherwise not covered by public or private organizations.”

The TD Nicolas W. Matossian Junior Award of Excellence goesto Stefano Ruvo, who will happily share the distinction with hisentire family.

As a proud partner of the Children’s, TD is honoured to once againsponsor the TD Nicolas W. Matossian Junior Community Award ofExcellence, which recognizes the efforts of exceptional children. Wecould not be prouder this year to learn that the award will bepresented to the child of a member of the TD family, Rosa Bologna’sson Stefano.

Shortly after he was born, Stefano was diagnosed with a rare medicalcondition affecting his nervous system which prevents him frombreathing on his own. He required a tracheotomy to attach a venti-lator and one third of his small intestine had to be removed. Thanksto his incredible tenacity and indomitable determination, coupledwith the skill of the healthcare workers at the Children’s, Stefanois able to experience life like any other child his age: he wears adiaphragm stimulator that is grafted underneath his skin that allowshim to be more mobile and to attend school.

A playful and charismatic six year old, Stefano never gives up in theface of adversity. His courage inspires his loved ones to fundraise forthe Hospital’s complex care department. At TD, we are equallyinspired by Stefano and it is with great humility that we present himwith the TD Nicolas W. Matossian Award of Excellence.

Stefano Ruvo is the recipient of the TD Nicolas W. Matossian Award of Excellence.

Stefano Ruvo

”


I n seventeen years, Patrizia Ciocca can’t remember a day whenshe didn’t look forward to getting up and going to work. “I’m truly

lucky.” Lucky, she says, to be working with dedicated and talentedindividuals, all pulling together, focused on a single objective: tohelp sick children and their families. “The doctors and nurses in thisdepartment work so hard for the care of our kids, they make mewant to do more and be better.”

Her work as an administrative assistant at the Hematology/Oncology clinic is Patrizia’s first and only fulltime job since joiningthe Children’s right out of school, where she studied to be a medicalsecretary. Her responsibilities include managing patient recordsand ensuring the smooth administration of the day-to-day affairsof the clinic, moving the necessary paperwork along as smoothly

and efficiently as possible so patients and their families might spendless time anxiously awaiting the next test or treatment. “I know theparents appreciate my efforts.”

But there’s more to Patrizia than paperwork and patients’ charts.There’s also the support that can’t be measured in hospital andgovernment forms and files. Beyond her talent for staying ahead ofthe work, there is Patrizia’s warmth, her smile and her genuineempathy. Because if Patrizia is quick to laugh, she also is sensitiveto other emotions: a young patient’s distress, a parent’s anxiety, orthe immeasurable sadness of a lost battle for life. “You sometimeswant to cry, but the other patients and families need everyonein the clinic to be strong.” Despite those feelings, “there are manymoments of real joy in this place,” she adds.

At the end of the workday, as she sets out across the grounds of theGlen campus and heads for home, Patrizia may look up and reflecton her work: “all that I did throughout the day to help those aroundme, my colleagues, our patients and our families, and I feel good.”For all that and more, Patrizia Ciocca receives this year’s TransForceAdministrative and Clinical Support Staff Award of Excellence.

At TransForce, we foster professional growth and reward dedicationbecause we know that our employees are the core of our success. Thisis why we are committed, through the TransForce Administrativeand Clinical Support Staff Award of Excellence, to honour aChildren’s staff member who goes the extra mile for the well-beingof sick children.

Patrizia Ciocca has spent 17 years working in the Hematology/Oncology Clinic and sees each day as a blessing. She takes her roleas administrative assistant very seriously, ensuring that her workis carried out with the utmost efficiency for she knows her effortswill have a direct impact on the families of children with cancer. Forexample, Patrizia is aware that any delays can influence the speedwith which anxious families of children with cancer will receiveimportant information about medical test results. A caring profes-sional, Patrizia is always ready to lend a sympathetic ear to familiesand to help improve their hospital stay to the best of her ability.

TransForce would like to congratulate Patrizia for her exceptionalwork. It is an honour to be able to present her with the TransForceAdministrative and Clinical Support Staff Award of Excellence.

Patrizia Ciocca is the recipient of the TransForce Adminis-trative and Clinical Support Staff Award of Excellence.

Patrizia Ciocca

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